Reginald Humphrey
Senior Manager, Supplier Diversity
General Motors
What are some of the Key factors you attribute the success to your company’s successful Supplier Diversity Program?
Key factors that we attribute to the historical success of GM’s Supplier Diversity are as such;
Resources: 5 full time supplier diversity professionals & 9 part time volunteer leads that represent each of our respective purchasing departments, which allows us to support 22 advocacy organizations and over 120 internal purchasing teams .
Supplier Development: A robust strategy that includes our 5-Point training curriculum, DSDP 3.0 mentoring initiative, and our Tuck Scholarship offering
Key Performance Metrics: A sustainable performance management plan that covers our Tier 1 & 2 process of tracking, reporting, and reviewing metrics beyond spend, such as sourcing alignment, RFQ activity, and contract lifecycles.
Targeted communication and connections via our quarterly Supplier Diversity Council forum, SD Newsletter, and our annual Supplier Connections Training & Matchmaker day.
How do you think Supplier Diversity professionals can continue to make a strong case for the need of diversifying the supply chain?
Supplier Diversity is typically driven by one or a combination of these 3 factors; Customers, Compliance, and Culture. As SD professionals we must integrate and customize our initiatives into our corporate procurement models with defined ROI’s that are aligned with the same key performance metrics that the organization measures every day.
What do you think is the biggest challenge facing the Supplier Diversity Programs? How would you like to see the BDR address these challenges?
Quantifying our unique value proposition as a key resource for delivering relevant supply chain solutions and competitive intelligence that crosses industry lines and international borders.
The BDR can help by quantifying the collective economic impact of our members, sharing benchmark information relative to progressive procurement models, and highlighting the contributions of diverse suppliers regarding innovative supply chain solutions.
What advice would you give other corporations and/or public sector agencies considering implementing and/or improving their supplier diversity program?
Key pieces of advice; Secure support from your senior leadership team, connect your Supplier Diversity strategy & priorities to that of the entire corporation (especially your purchasing department), and gradually phase in initiatives that are easy to track, measure, and communicate on a regular cadence.
What do you find as the key value of being part of the BDR?
The BDR provides a forum that allows mature corporations with similar passions for economic inclusion to collaborate with our peers to conduct benchmarking of world class processes, access to high performing diverse suppliers, and to quantify our collective impact.
Provide some bullet points on the requirements of doing business with your corporation.
Relevant Value Proposition- Aligned capabilities & Proven performance
Diversify your business portfolio (Customers, Industry, Geography, etc…)
Develop strategies that align with the customers footprint (JV/ Strategic Alliance)
Research the purchasing model & sourcing opportunities
Establish a realistic growth plan that aligns with your human & financial resources
